海滩天

Like I said in my last post, Rachel and I had a lot of fun in Cixi with Arlene and her family. But, the final day we spent with them was definitely the best... because we got to go to the beach!

I didn't realize how much I'd miss the beach, but I suppose after living so close to it for four years, I became a little spoiled. So when we found out that Arlene didn't live too far from a beach, we made a request to spend some time there. And it was great! The weather was hot, the water felt good and the sun was bright. It was a perfect way to spend the day - it just doesn't feel like summer without some beach time.

It turns out, it was Arlene's parents first time at the beach, which Rachel and I did not realize at first. So, when we sprinted from the sand into the crashing waves, Arlene's parents just about had a heart attack! They thought the waves were going to swallow us - they didn't know better. However, after we explained that we had been to beaches plenty of times, they relaxed a little. They even let us take Hazel (Arlene's 11-year-old sister) into the waves a little further! She had a lot of fun. And let me tell you, that water felt good, especially after the 90-100 degree weather we've been getting in Hangzhou.

Jump if you love the ocean!! - Me and Rachel

Arlene and Hazel at the beach

And you know what else felt good? Lying out in the sun - oh how I miss it! Turns out, Rachel and I were the only ones on the beach interested in absorbing some UV rays. Chinese people are extremely concerned with having as fair skin as possible, so when it's sunny out, they wear long sleeves and sit underneath umbrellas. I'm sure they all thought Rachel and I were insane for wanting to lay out and absorb the sun. 

Me trying to get some sun and Arlene trying to hide from it

Arlene's Uncle - as Rachel said, he's "not a beach kinda guy"

And of course, we couldn't leave the beach without trying to dig a hole to America (that's how it works, right? Since all the holes we dig in America lead to China, of course!)

This might take a while...

After a great day at the beach (and a little burnt skin, of course), Rachel and I wanted to treat Arlene and her family to a dinner to thank them for all of their hospitality. So where did we take them? Pizza Hut, of course! We wanted to give them a true American dining experience. When we told them that in America, we eat the pizza with our hands, their jaws literally dropped. And while we couldn't get Arlene's parents to eat the pizza with their hands, they did manage to eat some chicken wings without their chopsticks or other utensils. It was a lot of fun to be able to share a little of home with them, especially after they had shared so much of their home with us. 

Everyone's happy after our delicious American dinner

Spending time with Chinese families like Arlene's is a truly different experience - I can't really say I've experienced Chinese culture until after adventures like this one. I only hope I can show my mom and my sister a great time like this family showed me!